Why should one third of our land be under forest cover

one third of india's land should be under forest cover as forests play a vital role in the nation's ecocnomy. The Forest Policy Resolution of May 12, 1952, suggests that "India as a whole should aim at maintaining one-third of its total land area under forests. As an insurance against denudation a much larger percentage of the land, about 60 per cent, should be kept under forests for their protective functions in the Himalayas, the Deccan and other mountainous tracts liable to erosion. In the Plains, where the ground is flat and erosion is normally not a serious factor, the proportion to be attained should be placed at 20 per cent ; and in view of the pressure of agriculture, efforts at the extension of tree lands should be concentrated on river banks and other convenient places not suitable for agriculture"